Stephen Hawking, the Universe & God

In a letter to the Editor [NST - 9 September 2010], one Rueben Dudley from Petaling Jaya commented on the world-renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking's conclusion in his new book i.e. 'God was not necessary for the universe to come into being."

Hawking's argued as such & summarises as follows: "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing; why the universe exists, why we exist."

The gentleman, Rueben Dudley concluded his disagreement to Hawking's view by writing: " We should thank God for creating our universe and us, and faithfully seek to serve Him with gladness by showing love and respect for all and being diligent and honourable in our endeavours.

The answer to Hawking's argument could be found in the Holy Quran ....

On the creation of the Universe & its contents, amongst others:

Surah Al Baqarah - 2:[21-22];

" O Mankind! Worship your Rabb who created you and created those who came before you; by doing this you may guard yourself against evil. It is He Who has made the earth as a floor for you and the sky a canopy; and it is He Who sends down rain from the sky for the growth of fruits for your sustenance. Therefore, do not knowingly set up rivals to Allah."

Surah Al Baqarah - 2:[116-117];

" They say: 'Allah has taken to Himself a son;' Allah is above such things! Rather, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth; all are obedient to Him. He is the Creator of the heavens and earth! When He decrees a thing, He needs to say, 'Be,' and there it becomes."

Surah Al Baqarah - 2:[164];

" Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, in the alternation of the night and day, in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind, in the rain which Allah sends down from the skies, with which He revives the earth after its death and spreads in it all kinds of animal, in the change of the winds and the clouds between the sky and the earth that are made subservient, there are signs for rational people."

Surah Al-A'raf - 7:[54-58];

" Surely, your Rabb is Allah Who created the heavens and earth in six Yome (days or stages) and then He established Himself on the Throne in a manner that suits His Majesty. He makes the night cover the day and the day follow the night automatically. He created the sun, the moon and the stars, and made them subservient to His will. Take a note: His is the creation, and His is the command. Blessed is Allah, the Rabb of the worlds!. Call on your Rabb with humility and in private; for He does not love transgressors. Do not create mischief in the land after it has been set in order. Pray to Him in fear and hope. Surely the mercy of Allah is always close to those who do good to others. He is the One Who sends the winds bearing good news of His blessings, so when they lift up heavy clouds, We drive them along to a dead country-side and make the rain fall upon it and bring forth all kinds of fruits from the dead land. Likewise We raise the dead to life; this example is given so that you may learn a lesson from this observation. The good soil yields rich produce by the permission of Allah and barren soil yields nothing but poor produce. Thus do We explain Our revelations over and over again for those who pay thanks."

Surah Al-Anbiya' - 21:[30-33];

" Have not the unbelievers ever considered that the skies and the earth were once one mass, then We split them asunder? And We have created every living thing from water. Will they still not believe? And We have planted mountains on earth lest it should tilt to one side with them and We left between them open passages so that they may find their way. And We have made the sky a safe canopy; yet, they are heedless to signs. He is the One Who has created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all (the celestial bodies) move swiftly in orbits of their own."

There are other verses which Allah again and again stressed it is He who created the universe in the Holy Quran...

To Stephen Hawking & of course to myself, the answer is right in the Holy Quran!!

Allahhu Akbar ...